Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine and traditional homeopathy has been practiced for nearly two hundred years all over the world. Homeopathic medicine has its underpinnings in what is referred to as the Law of Similars or the similia principle. The fundamental principle of homeopathy states that substances may be used to treat disorders whose manifestations are similar to those which they themselves produce in a healthy subject (Churchill Livingstone's International Dictionary of Homeopathy Edited by Jeremy Swayne (2000) page 193, 1st Edition).
Homeopathic tinctures differ to herbal tinctures in their method of production, base ingredients used and their dilution.
Homeopathic tinctures are derived from many materials, whereas herbal tinctures are derived from plant materials only. Homeopathic mother tinctures are made following monographs laid down in the HAB (GHP—German Homeopathic Pharmacopeia), EP European Pharmacopeia, French Homeopathic Pharmacopeia BHP British Homeopathic Pharmacopeia HPUS Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States. While plants are the base ingredients for approximately 65% of homeopathic tinctures, the remainder are made from many mineral, animal or imponderable substances. Thus, the production of a homeopathic tincture involves the use of base ingredients from x-ray to diamond to Pulsatilla (the Wind flower).
A homeopathic mother tincture, comprising base ingredients such as for example fresh plants, is generally prepared by extracting the ingredients in a suitable solvent, followed by the steps of comminution, maceration and squeezing according to accepted homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. Suitable solvents include alcohol, water, water-alcohol mixtures, glycerine or isotonic sodium chloride solutions. Other techniques include tituration (grinding) with lactose to form a powdered dilution. On the contrary herbal tinctures are prepared in a different manner generally involving the use of a solvent to extract the base ingredient without the maceration or grinding steps.
In homeopathy, a base preparation or mother tincture of a homeopathic remedy is made by liquid extraction (via maceration) of a herbal, mineral, animal or imponderable substance by dissolving the herbal, mineral, animal or imponderable in a solvent. In use, the mother tincture or 1× potency (1×10−1 dilution) may be used as is, for example in diseases where the patient can benefit from the active principles within the tincture. This assumes that the base tincture is not of a toxic nature. Optionally, the mother tincture may be further diluted. Essentially, a series of dilutions are prepared from the base preparation or mother tincture. This step is called potentization and involves a series of dilutions. Between each series the diluted substance is succussed (shaken in a vigorous manner). The process of dilution and succussion leads to a gradual loss of chemical toxicity while gradually increasing the homeopathic potency. The more dilute remedies being of greater potency.
Thus, homeopathic tinctures require a further dilution step in the production of the mother homeopathic tincture. This means that a homeopathic mother tincture is a 1× or 1 in 10 dilution of the base ingredient. Additionally, it is important to note that it is not possible to reconstitute a herbal mother tincture from a homeopathic mother tincture. Thus, what makes a tincture truly homeopathic is the additional dilution process to where the final mother tincture represents a dilution of 1:10 of the base ingredient.
Thus, homeopathic tinctures differ to herbal remedies in that a further dilution is required in the production of homeopathic tinctures so that the base material is 10% of the final mother tincture. As expanded on above a homeopathic mother tincture from fresh plants is prepared by extracting the ingredients in a suitable solvent, such as a alcohol, water-alcohol mixtures, water, glycerine or isotonic sodium chloride solution are used as a vehicle (solvent) followed by the steps of comminution, maceration and squeezing. Other techniques include tituration (grinding) with lactose to form a powdered dilution. On the other hand, herbal remedies are less dilute than homeopathic remedies and are prepared in a different manner merely involving the use of a solvent to extract the ingredient.
Homeopathic preparations as defined above must follow the monograph as laid down in the various homeopathic pharmacopoeias, for example the German Homeopathic Pharmacopeia (G.H.P. or H.A.B.), European Pharmacopeia (E.P.), French Homeopathic Pharmacopeia, British Homeopathic Pharmacopeia (B.H.P.) or the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States (H.P.U.S.).
The dilution and sucussion level of homeopathic drugs are denoted as “x”, “X” or “d” for the decimal scale or centesimal “c”, “C” scale or LM (Q) as 1:50,000 dilutions. This is expanded in the table below.
DecimalCentesimalPOTENCYDILUTIONCONCENTRATIONPOTENCYDILUTIONCONCENTRATION1x or D11:1010−16c1:10121 × 10−122x or D21:10010−27c1:10141 × 10−143x or D31:100010−311c1:10231 × 10−234x or D41:1000010−412c1:10241 × 10−245x or D51:10000010−530c1:10606x or D61:100000010−6200c1:1040030x or D301:1030 10−301M1:10200010M1:1020000LM1 (Q)3c diluted1:50,000
For example, for a “3×” preparation, the mother tincture is diluted with nine parts of the desired diluent, in either liquid or powder form. The resultant mixture is then diluted a second time, in a ratio of one part mixture to ten parts solvent and the resulting mixture is diluted a third time in a ratio of one to ten. Therefore, the 3× or D3 potency is actually at 1×10−3 ( 1/1000) of the mother tincture. Similarly, a 6× potency dilution would be at 1×10−6 of the original solution. In the “C scale” each dilution is done with ninety-nine parts diluent to the original mixture. Therefore, a 3C potency dilution is at 1×10−6 potency of the original mixture. Ideally, x potency dilution is usually carried out with approximately 10 to 20 succussions, while C potency dilutions are carried out with anywhere from 10 to 100 succussions and in some cases 1000 sucussions between dilutions. The more stages of dilution and succussion a homeopathic solution has undergone, the higher the potency of that remedy.
These x and C scales are recognized by the main Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia such as the German Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (G.H.P.), French Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia British Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States (H.P.U.S.) and the European Homeopathic Pharmacopeia.
When choosing the homeopathic remedy to administer, it is important to note that the homeopathic approach to treatment hypothesizes that the closer the matching of symptoms of the individual to be cured to those of the medicine being used, the greater the curing effect of the homeopathic treatment. This process is facilitated by these symptoms being catalogued in the homeopathic Materia Medica and various Homeopathic Repertories. The selection of the remedy is of prime importance in a successful homeopathic treatment. Of secondary importance, is the selection of the correct therapeutic potency. The potency of the medicine must be matched to the state of the patient and the state of the disease process. Thus, in a young healthy individual with an acute disease process a high potency medicine would generally be appropriate, whereas in an elderly patient with a chronic disease a low potency or even a diluted LM potency may be more appropriate.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of a homeopathic drug, the drug is tested by a “proving” in order to see how the drug will affect an otherwise healthy person. Hundreds of compounds have been tested in this manner and these are catalogued in the various Homeopathic Repertories and Materia Medica. Homeopathic repertories generally provide listings of the human anatomy (or in some clinical repertories clinical conditions are listed) and list associated symptoms and treatments for these symptoms. Materia Medicae list homeopathic drugs and identify the maladies and symptoms each drug treats. The material in the Materia Medicae is derived from all the information about the homeopathic drug and includes data from homeopathic provings, toxicity, and clinical use. More over, where a repertory lists a symptom, it classifies possible treating compounds as either first, second or third degree and in some cases fourth degree remedies for that symptom. Typically, a homeopathic practitioner will prescribe homeopathic medicine that has the best overall recorded similarity to the overall disease picture in the patient. This also involves taking into account how important each symptom is in that picture especially the strange rare and peculiar symptom(s), mental, emotional, aetiological, general symptoms, local symptoms and modalities. A homeopathic medicine with first degree indications for a particular symptom picture is more likely to be used than a remedy with a similar second degree picture unless the second degree picture has a greater similarity to the overall patient picture. A homeopathic medicine with a third degree indication would be less likely to be used unless there was a greater similarity and particularly if there was a strange rare and peculiar symptom present. Homeopathic tinctures and their derivative potencies or dilutions can be used in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, conditions and or symptoms.
Classical homeopathy involves the administration of a homeopathic medicine based on a single ingredient. The use of a homeopathic complex comprising multiple different ingredients is contrary to conventional classical homeopathy teachings and in some pharmacopoeia this is not recommended (“Hahnemann Revisited—A Textbook of Classical Homeopathy For the Professional” Luc DeSchepper, First Edition 2001, “Achieving and Maintaining the Similimum Strategic Case Management for Successful Homeopathic Prescribing” LucDeSchepper, First Edition 2004, “The Organon of the Medical Art” by Samuel Hahnemann edited by Wenda Brewster O'Reilly First Edition, 1996.)
The treatment of most conditions in humans or animals using conventional methodologies involves the administration of conventional drug treatments. Such conventional treatments can have major side-effects to the detriment of many internal organs. These side-effects, ranging from mild to severe, can prevent their application to many patients. For example, statins which are used in the treatment of high cholesterol have many side effects ranging from mild to severe. These include gastrointestinal symptoms. Statins can also have severe side effect on the liver and kidney. Rhabdomyolysis (the pathological breakdown of skeletal muscle) may lead to acute renal failure when muscle breakdown products damage the kidney. Thus, with a condition like high cholesterol when it is being treated by statins, the patient must be continually monitored to assess whether unrelated systems are being adversely affected.
Many other therapies for a wide range of conditions also result in side effects ranging from mild to potentially lethal side effects. These side effects and other detrimental effects can also reduce patient compliance to the drug therapy. For example, many anti-arthritics and anti-inflammatories have side effects at the circulatory hepatic or nephrological level. Anti-anxiety drugs (anxiolytics) can have either a sedative side effect or other often more hidden behavioural effects can occur, such as dissociation or there may be a long term inability to cope without the drugs. It has been recorded that drugs used for the purposes of sedation have in some cases resulted in the aggravation of symptoms such as aggression following their use. For example, acepromazine/acetylpromazine (ACP) is used as a sedative/tranquilizer by veterinarians. ACP is frequently used in combination with other sedatives and anaesthetics to provide smoother sedation ACP can cause side effects, such as effects on blood pressure. In some cases the lower blood pressure remains long after the drug has been taken. Due to these side-effects, it may not be possible to administer ACP to some animals. Anti-pruritic drugs, which reduce pruritus, or itching, can have side effects such as drowsiness and lowering blood pressure.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a treatment which addresses these issues and can mitigate at least some of the significant side-effects and problems associated with conventional therapies.
Furthermore, another problem with current conventional methodologies is that no therapy is 100% effective across a population no matter what condition is targeted. Any therapy which can improve effectiveness across a wider range of subjects would be desirable.
There is a need for less expensive, safer and more user friendly therapeutic agents for use in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions. Hence, the present invention is directed to specific homeopathic complexes which can treat a wide number of disorders without the negative side effect and costs issues usually associated with conventional pharmaceuticals.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.